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January 16, 2009

Illustrated lecture at Maymont Flower and Garden Show features "Flowers and Herbs of Early America"

Colonial Williamsburg curator of plants Lawrence Griffith will present an illustrated lecture at the Maymont Flower & Garden Show at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 19. The show will be held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 5th and Marshall Streets, Richmond, Va.
A leading historic plant expert, Griffith’s lecture will pull from five years of research in primary documents as well experience gained from live field trials.

Illustrated with elegant period engravings and striking contemporary photographs by Barbara Temple Lombardi, the book will be a dazzling visual treat for armchair gardeners and admirers of Colonial Williamsburg’s famous gardens.

Gifts from Janet and Fred Brubaker of Somerset, Pa., Teresa and Ken Wood of Chester Springs, Pa., and the Mars Foundation of McLean, Va., have made possible this exquisitely photographed and meticulously researched book of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area flowers and herbs.

The Maymont Flower & Garden Show is celebrating its 20th anniversary of merging beauty, education and entertainment. This year’s theme is “It’s a Colorful World.” It is a day-long adventure exploring the Great Garden Marketplace, a shopper’s paradise filled with the newest and best garden products and accessories and included in the price of admission are inspiring seminars by expert and entertaining speakers. Expect vibrant rivers of color and pockets of whimsy while strolling through display gardens built by Virginia’s most talented landscape professionals.

Benefiting the Maymont Foundation and produced by MAC Events, the show is a valuable component of Maymont’s yearlong fund-raising efforts. Along with the price of admission attendees can visit the MAC Events Home Show-Richmond.

Tickets are $10 for adults with discounts for seniors on Thursday and Friday and free for children under age 12. Free parking and shuttle service are available from the Diamond during show hours.

Purchase tickets in advance by visiting www.macevents.com or by calling 1-800-332-3976 or at select ticket outlets. Visit www.maymontflowershow.com for a list of outlets and up to date information.

“Flowers and Herbs of Early America” can be purchased at WILLIAMSBURG Booksellers in Colonial Williamsburg’s Visitor Center, 101A Visitor Center Drive, by phone at 1-800-446-9240 or at www.williamsburgmarketplace.com. The book is published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with Yale University Press, which will distribute books outside Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. The suggested retail price for the book is $50.

Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to shopkeepers to soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia society and culture – stories of our journey to become Americans – while historic trades people research, demonstrate and preserve the 18th-century world of work and industry. As Colonial Williamsburg interprets life in the time of the American Revolution guests interact with history through “Revolutionary City®” – a dramatic live street theater presentation.

Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Web site at www.history.org.